[English version, French to follow]
About the Role

As Principal Design Director - Americas CoE, you are the Systems Master and architect of gameplay excellence across Keywords North America.

You will help shape game experiences from initial concept through production and beyond, defining the gameplay systems, progression frameworks, economies, and player experiences that form the foundation of a project. Whether supporting early-stage pitches, collaborating during development, or advising teams through launch and live operations, you will help ensure design intent remains aligned, scalable, and player-focused throughout the product lifecycle.

Actively translating the creative vision into engaging, scalable, and commercially viable gameplay systems-then partner with studios on execution to bring those systems to life.

From deep systemic RPG economies to accessible co-op loops or live-service retention systems, you define the "fun factor blueprint" that wins pitches and sustains long-term player engagement.

What You Will Do (The Mandate)
Design Strategy & Systems Architecture

• Partner with the Regional Creative Director to translate product vision into compelling gameplay systems, economies, progression models, and player experiences.
• Design and define scalable gameplay loops, engagement systems, retention frameworks, live-service features, and content strategies.
• Establish design frameworks, principles, and best practices that elevate consistency and quality across projects, genres, and studios.
• Ensure gameplay systems are engaging, balanced, accessible, and aligned with both player expectations and business goals.
• Evaluate and refine systems through player-focused design, hands-on expertise, and data-informed insight.

Pitch Leadership & Client Engagement

• Partner with Business Development and creative leadership to concept, document, and pitch innovative gameplay systems to major publishers and partners.
• Translate abstract product vision into clear, structured, and compelling design frameworks for early-stage pitches and proposals.
• Define core mechanics, loops, economies, and progression systems that differentiate new game opportunities.
• Support creation of design documentation, feature breakdowns, and system overviews that clearly communicate gameplay value and feasibility.

Regional Studio Collaboration & Discipline Supervision

• Collaborate with studios across Canada, the United States, and Mexico (potentially further reach globally across Keywords Create teams as things progress) to elevate gameplay design quality and execution.
• Guide and supervise design production across projects in Keywords Create.
• Provide consultative support across gameplay systems, level design, progression, economy design, feature development, and live-service strategy.
• Partner closely with design, engineering, production, and product teams to ensure systems are achievable, scalable, and aligned with project constraints.
• Identify design risks, dependencies, and opportunities early to support stronger production outcomes and decision-making.
• Promote alignment between creative intent and technical execution across distributed teams.

Live Service & Player Engagement

• Drive best practices for retention, progression, monetization, seasonal content, and ongoing player engagement systems.
• Support the design of player-facing systems that balance business performance with meaningful, high-quality gameplay experiences.
• Help studios evolve live games through community feedback, telemetry, and player behavior insights.
• Promote scalable approaches to content delivery, system iteration, and long-term game sustainability.

Design Innovation & AI Enablement

• Leverage AI-powered tools to accelerate system design, economy simulation, balancing analysis, content planning, and rapid prototyping.
• Use AI-assisted workflows to test gameplay assumptions, evaluate progression models, and explore systemic design solutions before major production investment.
• Champion emerging design methodologies, tools, and technologies that improve efficiency, quality, and player outcomes.
• Stay ahead of evolving player expectations, market trends, and innovations in systems-driven and live-service game design.

What You Bring

• 10+ years of experience in game design, including leadership roles such as Design Director, Game Director, Lead Designer, Principal Designer, or equivalent.
• Proven success designing and shipping commercially successful games across PC & console (mobile and other formats like VR are a plus).
• Deep expertise in gameplay systems, core loops, progression design, economies, level design, retention, engagement, and monetization.
• Strong understanding of both premium and free-to-play design philosophies, player psychology, and live-service ecosystems.
• Demonstrated ability to translate high-level creative vision into structured, scalable, and technically feasible gameplay systems.
• Hands-on experience creating design documentation, feature specs, prototypes, and system frameworks.
• Strong understanding of behavioral design, player psychology, and data-informed decision-making.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence multidisciplinary teams without direct management responsibility.
• Experience working across multiple projects, teams, or studios in complex, fast-paced environments.
• Familiarity with modern game engines, production pipelines, and development methodologies.
• Experience leveraging AI tools and workflows for simulation, balancing, prototyping, and design exploration.
• Passion for elevating game design through craft, innovation, and systemic thinking.

This is a hybrid position, however it's currently open to candidates residing in the Greater Montreal Area or willing to relocate to this region. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in Canada.

Salary Range: $185,000-215,000 CAD

Primary working language: English

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package that covers Dental Care, Health Care (including out of country coverage), Vision Care, Long Term Disability, Physio, Massage etc.
• Generous leave policies including 4 weeks paid vacation (plus 1 week over the Holiday Season), unlimited sick leave and 2 paid personal days and 1 paid volunteer day. We also provide parental leave top-up and an Employee and Family Assistance Plan that offer 24/7 free and confidential help with your physical and mental health.
• RRSP Matching.
• A dynamic and supportive team environment with a range of experience and an amazing culture

Directeur(-trice) principal(e) de la conception - Keywords Amérique (Centre d'excellence créative)

Emplacement : Montréal, QC (hybride/flexible)
Description du poste :

En tant que directeur(-trice) principal(e) de la conception - CEC Amérique, vous serez le maître ou la maîtresse des systèmes et le ou la principal(e) architecte de l'excellence en jouabilité de Keywords en Amérique du Nord.

Vous contribuerez à façonner des expériences de jeu, de leur conception initiale à la production et au-delà, en définissant les systèmes de jeu, les modèles de progression, l'économie et les expériences de joueur constituant la base de tout projet. Que ce soit en contribuant aux argumentaires de vente initiaux, en collaborant au développement ou en conseillant des équipes au cours du lancement et des opérations en direct, vous contribuerez à garantir que l'intention derrière le design demeure conforme, extensible et axée sur les joueurs tout au long du cycle de vie du produit.

Vous traduirez activement la vision créative en systèmes de jeu captivants, extensibles et commercialement viables, pour ensuite travailler de concert avec les studios d'exécution pour donner vie à ces systèmes.

De l'économie complexe et systémique des jeux de rôles aux cycles de jeu accessibles des expériences coopératives, en passant par les systèmes de fidélisation des jeux-services, vous aurez pour tâche de définir la " formule fun " qui rend les argumentaires convaincants et qui maintient l'engagement des joueurs sur le long terme.

Ce que vous ferez (description des tâches)
Stratégie de conception et architecture des systèmes

• Vous associer à la direction créative régionale afin de traduire la vision du produit en systèmes de jeu, économies, modèles de progression et expériences de jeu captivantes.
• Concevoir et définir des boucles de jeu extensibles, des systèmes d'engagement, des cadres de fidélisation, des fonctionnalités de jeu-service et des stratégies de contenu.
• Établir les cadres, principes et bonnes pratiques de conception favorisant la cohérence et la qualité dans l'ensemble des projets, genres et studios.
• Garantir que les systèmes de jeu soient engageants, équilibrés, accessibles et conformes à la fois aux attentes des joueurs et aux objectifs commerciaux.
• Évaluer et raffiner les systèmes par une conception axée sur les joueurs, une expertise pratique et des constats reposant sur les données.

Leadership des argumentaires et engagement client

• Vous associer au développement commercial et au leadership créatif pour concevoir, documenter et proposer des syst�